With positive feedback loops I can manage my over cautiousness to bring it back to a reasonable level, but it's still there. I think the biggest problem with many trans ideologues & a lot of trans culture is that they are actively encouraging negative feedback loops. Their philosophical outlook on life is extremely defeatist, which is one reason I consider it regressive, not progressive. Hyperfocusing on body dysphoria and feeding into it is not healthy. It creates a negative feedback loop that makes their dysphoria worse, not better

Based on this and the story you tell of your own experience with dysphoria, it seems like actively avoiding hyperfocusing is what may lead to a more changeable view of any aspect of oneself, one that could be applied to problems with gender dysphoria and maybe even relieve some of it enough to prevent transitioning possibly--am I understanding what you're sayin correctly?

MarkTwainiac brought up an interesting point about the use of hallucinogens in therapy: I did use hallucinogens for a few years specifically to try to cure my own illness (as I saw it) because I discovered ways of thinking and self-conceptualization I had never been able to before. When my focus changed, relief was provided, just because it was no longer at the forefront of my mind. I did find, however, that my behavior didn't necessarily change, just my level of distress. Labels were less important and more fluid or non-existent, but that gave me an illusion that I'd cured myself, only to find myself in a situation that would make me realize that some of those aspects of myself related to my cross-sex behavior and identification had never actually changed, just the way I thought about myself had. Hopefully that makes some sense.

That's why 'woman' isn't an identity to me. I am a human being with a female body. The word we have for that state of being is woman. Does having a female body profoundly affect my life? You bet. Does it dictate who I am, or what I can be in the future. Hell no! My identity is based on my principles and moral compass: being reliable, honest, trustworthy, forthright, strong, humorous, a good friend, a good partner, a good citizen, charitable and so on. My identity is also based on what I have accomplished in the past and what I am working on accomplishing in the future. I take pride in my work and it gives my life meaning. No one can 'invalidate' my identity, because my identity is not frivolous or superficial.

To me moral/principle based identities are true progressiveness. Accepting your body as it is, and making the best of it. Your body is not your fate it is just one part of who you are. You are the captain of your own life and you can be and do awesome things if you are willing to put the work in.

I like this and I agree with your perspective on it. Being a man or a woman is more of a byproduct of reality rather than an identity for most, it seems. Despite being trans, I view being a woman the way that I see myself as a woman not as an identity, but rather as a byproduct of reality--the difference perhaps being that the factors are not just related to biological sex or reproductive anatomy or physiology; the reality isn't as simple or uncomplicated/straightforward from my perspective. If it were more of an identity, I wonder if that would have been or would be easier to change how I view myself in that regard. The person who I am is likely informed partially by those realities though, but who I see myself being is based more on my actions and beliefs and aspirations, as it seems to be for you, too.

Woman gender identity is such a sad superficial sexist defeatist concept. I hate it.

I've kind of come to reject the idea of gender identity, or at least that it's some immutable, unchangeable characteristic. A gender identity seems limiting to one's personality, life and human spirit. It keeps people oppressed and repressed, and disallows us from expanding and growing in a certain regard. Like Houseplant and MarkTwainiac were saying, perhaps some people cling to it in desperation of filling some sort of void in their own lives, whatever the reason may be.

I like the paper you shared, thank you! The concept reminded me of the theory behind positive psychology, as well as the idea of manifestation. My self-defense instructor tells me to practice doing certain techniques by just envisioning myself doing them because science shows that we can actually learn and get better at things even by doing that--this seems to track with that idea!